Lesson Plan Details

Bear Facts (WSJCANC)

Topic

Habitat and Management - Species and Habitat ManagementWildlife - Mammals

Summary

Participants will learn the significance of black bears to Arkansas and the research necessary to manage the species. They will view research equipment used to study black bears and how Arkansas Game and Fish Commission biologists use scientific data to manage the bear population.

During the nineteenth century, Arkansas was “The Bear State” because of its large population of black bears. Legends of Arkansas bears figured prominently in the American frontier, spurred by contributions from journalists in New York and Chicago. Black bears were important to early Arkansas settlers who depended on bear meat, hides and oil for subsistence. Due to generations of unrestricted killing, only about 50 bears remained in Arkansas by the 1940s. In 1959, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission began one of the nation’s more successful large mammal reintroductions by restoring black bears to the Ozark and Ouachita mountains. More than 3,500 black bears are now thriving in Arkansas, thanks to ongoing management by AGFC wildlife biologists.

Procedure

Introduce yourself and the CANC. Explain that it is owned and operated by AGFC and showcases the agency’s mission. Also tell how Amendment 75 of 1996 funds paid for the facility and allow free admission.

Tell participants you will be covering one of the more interesting animals of Arkansas: the black bear. Play the 10-minute Black Bears in Arkansas section of the DVD Living with Arkansas Black Bears as an introduction.

Hand out copies of the question sheets to complete during the Power Point presentation that shows AGFC wildlife biologists working with black bears. Note that black bears are the smallest of the four bear subspecies in North America (grizzly, kodiak or Alaskan brown bears and polar bears are the others). Boars (adult males) can weigh more than 400 pounds, and sows (adult females) can weigh more than 200 pounds.

Point out some physical characteristics of black bears. They do not have great long-range vision but do have an extraordinary sense of smell and hearing. Their hearing is more than twice as sensitive as that of humans. Hair color phases are black, cinnamon and blonde. Bears are excellent climbers and swimmers and can run faster than 30 mph for short distances. They are able to stand on their back feet in order to see or hear better. Show the bear hide, cross-sectioned tooth, skull and track replicas. Allow participants to pass the items around, and discuss each item. Highlight the canine teeth and ask what they are used for, explaining that those teeth are characteristic of carnivores.

Talk about the diet of black bears. Although they are classified as carnivores, only about 10 percent of an average bear’s food is animal with most of it being insects and grubs. Realistically, bears are omnivores with a varied diet. Bears eat a variety of plant-based foods, including freshly sprouted vegetation, berries, other fruits and nuts. They will consume fresh carrion and occasionally small mammals or fish. When natural foods are scarce, bears forage for food. This can lead them to populated areas where pet food and garbage cans are inviting targets and conflicts with people can develop.

Discuss nuisance bear issues and how the AGFC deals with nuisance bear complaints. Note that nuisance bears usually result from 1) a natural food shortage 2) yearling adult males that are looking for their home territory or 3) people feeding bears and causing them to associate food with people. These bears lose their natural fear of people and may eventually attack someone. AGFC strongly urges people not to feed bears for this reason. Pet foods should be stored indoors, and garbage should be taken to the curb the day of collection. If people encounter a nuisance bear, they should stay away and call AGFC or the local law enforcement. AGFC officials will attempt to trap and relocate nuisance bears but sometimes must kill them if they are considered a danger to people.

Emphasize that bears do not hibernate in Arkansas but do den in the winter. Arkansas bears search for dens in October, and most will den by late December and will not emerge until April or May. Dens are sheltered areas such as rock crevices or overhangs, hollow trees and thickets. Bears do not eat, drink or expel waste during the den period. Metabolism drops 50 to 60 percent, heart rate drops 60 to 80 percent, and weight decreases as much as 25 percent.

After bears emerge from dens from late April to mid May, they quickly look for available foods, which usually include emerging vegetation and insects. Bears breed in June or July; other than this season males and females are solitary. Sows can delay implantation up to five months until they have enough nutrition to support developing fetuses. Cubs are born in the winter dens and weigh just a few ounces. The typical litter has two or three cubs. A sow will only breed every other year because her offspring stays with her for two years. Upon emerging from the den the second year, the sow will run off her yearlings and seek to mate with a boar.

Because of their size and nutritional needs, bears require abundant habitat. They need suitable den sites, plenty of escape cover and a liberal supply of high-quality foods. Most bears in Arkansas inhabit the Ozark and Ouachita mountain ranges, with smaller populations found in the White River refuge and other tracts in eastern and southern Arkansas. In ideal conditions, bears can live up to 30 years or more, but 15 years is the average.

Explain that Arkansas was known as “The Bear State” in the 1800s due to the high number of bears. In fact, Oil Trough, Arkansas, got its name from the bear oil trade that once existed. Over time, unregulated pressure to meet market demands for bear meat and oil depleted the population. By the 1940s only about 50 bears remained in Arkansas along the lower White River. AGFC began an intensive, 10-year effort to restore bears in 1959. By 1980, AGFC estimated that 1,200 to 1,500 bears populated Arkansas and opened the first bear season in 53 years. Today there are nearly 4,000 bears in Arkansas. AGFC bases the annual harvest quota on population counts taken by wildlife biologists to maintain a sustainable population. AGFC’s restoration of the bear population is one of the more successful for large mammals in the United States.

Explain that AGFC wildlife biologists monitor the population by tracking individual specimens, collecting data from them, etc. Pass around the gum tattoo, jab stick, snare and radio collar and discuss them.

Use the most recent AGFC bear survey data (available at www.agfc.com) to create math lessons.

Provide their teacher with a copy of the Watchable Wildlife: The Black Bear fact sheet to use at school.

Have participants research bears using the library and the Internet to write reports. Recommended websites include www.bear.org and www.americanbear.org. These can be included in the post-visit teacher packet.

Review

What are the primary food sources of Arkansas black bears? (vegetation, fruits, nuts, berries, insects, grubs and worms, small animals)

What are some bear signs in the wild? (overturned tree logs, overturned rocks, scratches on trees, tracks, scat)

What do a black bear’s ears tell you about its age and body size? (The larger a bear’s ears in proportion to its head, the younger the animal.)

What are some causes of human/bear conflict? (human encroachment on habitat, poor natural food supplies, garbage and feed near homes, people feeding or baiting bears)

What bears are most likely to become nuisances? (those that have no fear of people, usually due to people feeding them)

Why does AGFC have a hunting season on bears? (to keep the population within healthy limits and prevent overcrowding; AGFC bases the number of bears to be harvested on the latest population numbers)

Glossary

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission – the state agency responsible for managing fish and wildlife

“Bear State” – the nickname for Arkansas in the 1800s derived from its large black bear population

Boar – an adult male bear

Carnivore – an animal that mostly eats animal matter

Carrying capacity – the amount of wildlife an area of land can sustain which varies with the amount of food, water and shelter available